


Chasing Dragonflies

by Eusong



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Bear Attack, Cordelia is a bitch, F/M, Gaius is a smooth motherfucker, Slow Burn, Title is Irrelevent, blushing - Lots of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 11:46:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13903347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eusong/pseuds/Eusong
Summary: (Name) ends up meeting Gaius, another member of Chrom's army. She fears him at first, but discovers it isn't fear for the reason she thought.





	Chasing Dragonflies

(Name) could hear the new girl, Cordelia, telling off one of the other members of Chrom's army. She peeked from behind her tent flap out of curiosity to see it was Gaius. She didn't know either of the two redheads well but she did know Cordelia's rants were not something to be taken willingly. She laughed slightly.   
_Poor Gaius._ She thought. _I can only hope for his sake she runs out of air soon._  
"Alright, alright! I'll do it! Just stop, please." Gaius' whine could be heard all the way from (Name)'s tent. She laughed again before returning to her work.  
Shortly after, (Name) realized she needed to ask the ginger thief a question. Gathering up her tactical notes, she exited her tent and headed for his.   
"Gaius?" She called out, approaching the entrance. She pulled back the tent flap and to her utter embarrassment saw him in his undergarments, preparing to bathe with a bucket of nearby water. Gaius let out a squawk of surprise and nearly tripped over the bucket. (Name)'s face was beet red as she hurriedly closed the flap and dashed away, screaming "I'm sorry!"

 

(Name) had her tactical notes scattered on the floor of her tent as she pressed a pillow up to her reddened face.   
"Gods, I can't believe I walked in on him like that." She mumbled into the bag of feathers. Despite her embarrassment she couldn't help but think about how he looked. His well built form, beautiful orange hair...  
(Name) shook her head, growing more ashamed from her own thoughts. Not too long later she heard the dinner bell being rung by Fredrick. She crawled out of bed and sluggishly headed to the food tent. 

 

Across the table sat Gaius, who stared at (Name) the whole time. His increasingly interested expression lead her to be more and more embarrassed, till she was about to collapse by the time she finished her meal.   
"Look, Gaius," She walked over to him, hoping to conclude this situation once and for all. "I'm really sorry for walking in on you. I had no idea you were about to bathe."  
"No sweat. At least I hadn't taken my small clothes off yet." He chuckled. "Er, but I do want to mention I'm usually in much better shape." (Name) was confused now. He almost seemed to be flirting and it was making her blush again.  
"It's just with the stress of this blasted war I've been eating more sweets lately. Usually I'm a real piece of eye candy." He hummed, noticing her cheeks become a darker shade of pink.  
"Belly like a washboard, glutes like a lumberja-"  
"That's quite enough!" (Name) finally interrupted. Her bangs hid her eyes but her blush betrayed the intensity of emotion she was feeling.  
"Although," Her face started to return to it's normal color. "I did see something that had me concerned." She shifted uncomfortably.   
"Oh Gods, you saw that? How embarrassing..." It was Gaius' turn to blush. "It's just some poison ivy I got into the other day I swea-"   
"Not that," (Name) interrupted again. "I mean that tattoo on your arm."  
A wave of seriousness washed over the redhead and (Name) looked dead into his eyes.  
"That's the one they use to mark convicted criminals, isn't it?"  
Gaius scratched the back of his head, obviously not comfortable with the question being asked.  
"Yeah..." He finally admitted. "Got caught doing a favor for a mate once. Payed the price." He said. "But I'm not like that anymore." He quickly added. "And I'd appreciate it if you kept this between you and me, Sugar."   
"What did you call me?" (Name)'s cheeks turned pink for the umpteenth time. "And don't worry, I won't tell-"  
"You'll tell everyone you say? So it has to be bribery then. I can understand taking an opportunity to line your pockets." Gaius grabbed something from under his cape behind his back.   
"Here, take this custard pie."  
"Er, it's fine." (Name) assured him. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I promise."  
"Look," Gaius sighed. "I want to trust you, honest and truly. It's just that," He shifted. "In my line of work there's no such thing as a free lunch. Gal who says she'll do something for nothing? Well, she's the first one wanting payback down the line."  
(Name) sighed. "Ugh, I didn't want to have to do this. You see..." She pulled his ear close so she could whisper her deepest, darkest secret to him. "But if I tell you this, you have to keep it a secret in return for me keeping your secret."  
Gaius raised an eyebrow. "You have yourself a deal." He leaned closer to hear.  
The whole camp could hear the thief's hysterical laughing.

 

That night (Name) lay in bed, hugging her pillow close instead of resting her head on it. As nice as Gaius had seemed, she couldn't help but feel nervous ever since she saw the tattoo on his arm. Her thoughts floated to the last time she had seen one of those. It was on a condemned murderer. (Name) turned over, trying to forget about that.   
_He's just a thief._ She assured herself. _He didn't want to hurt Emmeryn, even after he was offered his weight in gold._ That reminder made her feel a bit better, but she still felt nervous. And when she had pulled him close to whisper her secret, she felt completely vulnerable.   
_But he didn't hurt me. I told him the secret and I was fine._ (Name) sighed. She couldn't judge a person by their past- it wouldn't be fair. Chrom hadn't judged her by hers, it would be wrong for her to judge Gaius by his. With one last sigh, (Name) rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

 

The next morning (Name) had slept in. She finally awoke to a muffled voice outside her tent.  
"Sugar? You awake? ...Can I come in?" She quickly sat up and pulled on a shirt.  
"Yes, you can come in."  
It was Gaius. He held something small and glimmering in his hand.  
"I got you a present. Think of it as a thank-you gift for yesterday."  
"Woah..." (Name)'s eyes lit up, sparkling with the necklace. "What a beautiful pendant!"  
"Sure is." Gaius hummed, popping a lollipop into his mouth. "Probably worth a huge sack of gold down at the market."  
"Gods, I can't accept such an extravagant gift." (Name) pulled her hand away, leaving the necklace in Gaius'.   
"Ok so...I may have stretched the truth a little." He scratched the back of his head. "It'd be worth a huge sack of gold if they payed for the sentimental value. See, I made it myself."   
(Name)'s eyes became as wide as saucers. "You made this! But...it's beautiful!" She smiled. "In that case, I accept. Thank you Gaius. It's amazing."   
"No problem, Sugar." He grinned, twirling the lollipop in-between his fingers. "Well, I'll be in the training yard if you need me." He waved.

 

The days flew by and Gaius and (Name) got to know each other better. Gaius was very much a jack of all trades, able to do most things excellently that several people would have to work together for. Sewing, cooking, and smithing were just a few of these chores. He even offered to teach (Name) herblore and the ways of a thief. (Name) appreciated these lessons and put them to good use, strategizing and providing for the army. However, despite all the time they spent together, (Name) couldn't get the fearful feeling that surfaced whenever she remembered his tattoo to go away.   
"Why is it bothering me so much?" She wondered aloud. "I mean, I knew he was a thief before I saw it and I was fine with it."  
"Fine with what?" A familiar silky, deep voice interrupted her thoughts.   
"Oh, hey Gaius. It's nothing." (Name) lied, blushing ever so slightly at how close he was to hearing her.  
"Anyway, what do you need?"  
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to gather honey with me." He said around a lemon tart he was chewing.  
"Honey?" (Name) perked up. She had been craving something sweet for a while now and honey sounded like it would hit the spot.  
"I'll take that as a yes." Gaius laughed, grabbing her arm. (Name) flinched. "C'mon!"

 

The two headed into the forest, keeping a watchful eye and listening ear out for bees. The day was beautiful; the sun was shining down warmly on their faces and the flowers were as perky as they should be in late spring. Inside (Name)'s heart, however, was a thunderstorm of emotions. She couldn't help but take extra precaution while nearby the ginger thief. Suddenly, Gaius' arm shot out and blocked (Name)'s chest, preventing her from moving forward.  
"Sssh! Look!" He pointed. Across the meadow was an enormous black bear pawing at a yellow object hanging from the tree.   
A bee hive.  
"What about the bear?" (Name) whispered. A glance at Gaius showed his eyes were on the hive and what it contained.  
"We'll have to scare it off." Gaius replied, rising up suddenly and howling like a crazy person.   
"Get out of here! Git!" He yeowled, running at the poor creature. (Name) followed suit, letting out her own shouts. 

 

The bear seemed very fearful of Gaius, but one glance at (Name)'s small figure made it regain it's confidence. With an angry roar it charged at the tactician, causing her eyes to widen in horror. She screamed. In a split second, (Name) found herself being pushed to the ground roughly and the roar of the bear was cut off with a sickening slice. Gaius stood over her, the beast's body caught on the end of his sword, hanging limp. Both were panting hard.  
"You...saved my life..." (Name) said in-between breaths. "Granted you were the one who put it in danger in the first place..." She chuckled. Gaius laughed slightly.  
"You ok?" He asked and she could hear the concern in his voice.   
"Yeah, I'm fine." Standing up, she saw her elbow was bloodied where she had fallen onto the ground. "I might want to get this looked at though."  
"I'll walk you back."  
"What about your honey?"  
"I'd rather make sure you're ok."   
(Name) tried to read his expression but his face was turned away. Her own cheeks were the slightest shade of pink.

 

Halfway back to camp Gaius stopped and looked at (Name).  
"You sure you're ok?"  
(Name) sighed slightly. "I told you, I'm fine."  
Gaius cupped her face in his hands to look straight into her eyes, searching them for any sign that she might be lying. (Name) began to blush madly as he leaned just a little bit closer before letting go.  
"Alright, I believe you. It's just I know how you're infamous for pushing yourself too hard, Sugar."  
(Name) shook her head at the nickname and the two continued back to camp.

 

Gaius escorted (Name) to the med tent and offered her a cupcake, which she accepted graciously. He then went to fetch Libra, who used a stave to heal her wound completely. It was still a bit sore, but otherwise was as good as new. The two exited the tent and just as Gaius was about to leave, (Name) grabbed his arm. A bit surprised, he turned to look at her.  
"Er, I just...wanted to say thanks, again. For saving me." She stammered, changing what she was going to say mid sentence.  
"No problem. It was kinda my fault anyway." He chuckled before heading off to dinner. (Name) sighed, looking down.   
_I'm such a coward._ She thought to herself. She sighed again and headed to dinner as well.

 

That evening (Name) decided to take a walk around camp. Fredrick had the patrol- she just wanted to relax and be alone with her thoughts. The sun, though trying to stay up longer in preperation for summer, soon dipped behind the mountains in the distance. The valley was cloaked with the fresh scent of night.  
(Name) was conflicted over her feelings towards Gaius, and nearly screamed in surprise when she heard a familiar voice.  
"Hey."  
Cursing under her breath, she turned to look at the Ylissian thief.   
"Damn it Gaius, you scared the crap out of me!"  
He smirked.  
"Sorry about that, but you should've seen your face. It was priceless."  
With a roll of her eyes she punched him in the arm, causing him to fake a pout.  
"What are you doing out at night anyway?" She asked, turning her eyes back ahead of her again.  
"I could ask the same for you. It's not safe for a lady to be walking out in the dark alone. Someone could sneak up on her." He teasingly poked her side. (Name) punched him again, this time a bit harder.  
"Ow! Okay, I'll stop!" He pleaded. "Damn, you sure can hit hard."  
"I think I could defend myself if someone snuck up on me." Was (Name)'s haughty reply.  
"Oh?" Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Gaius wrapped his arms around the tactician, pinning her own arms to her sides and catching her in an iron grasp. She squealed in surprise and fear, and he laughed.   
"Lemme go!" She wiggled, afraid someone might see them in this compromising position.  
"Nnnnnope!" Gaius laughed back. "Not until you admit you need me to keep you safe."  
(Name)'s face turned bright red and she twisted, trying to escape. Gaius, however, was stronger, and kept her pinned up against his chest. (Name) finally stopped fighting and sighed.  
"Fine...I need you to keep me safe." She mumbled.  
"What's that?" Gaius turned an ear towards her. "I can't hear you."  
"I need you to keep me safe! Now will you let me go?" She growled, struggling a bit again.   
Gaius let her down, still chuckling under his breath.   
"In that case I'll have to stick with you. Where are you going anyway?"  
"I'm just taking a walk." (Name) replied, continuing her original brisk pace. Gaius matched her speed.  
"All alone? At night?"  
"Well, I'm not alone any more." A sarcastic tone started to edge into her voice.  
"Something on your mind?"  
(Name) didn't reply. She didn't want to tell him how uncomfortable and fearful she felt while around him.   
Especially since...since...   
"Wanna talk about it?"  
She shook her head.  
"No, thank you. It's best if I keep this to myself." 

 

The two walked on in silence for a little while. Eventually Gaius spoke up.  
"Actually, I came looking for you. I made something for you."  
(Name)'s ears perked up.   
"Is it another pendant?"  
"Nope. I did one better. Here." Out of his pocket he pulled a beautiful silver ring topped with a glittering emerald.  
"Oh my gosh, what a beautiful ring!"  
"Phew, glad I didn't screw up. See, I was kinda hopin...you would wear it."  
At the sound of this (Name) stopped, her cheeks bright red.  
"I don't understand."  
"Well," Gaius scratched the back of his head.   
"It's a wedding ring, see? And...I'm offering it to you."  
"Gods...you're serious aren't you?" The rest of (Name)'s face became flushed as Gaius nodded.  
"Never been more serious in my life. (Name), you're the sweetest gal I've ever met, and I love you."  
(Name) turned away.  
"I...I can't."   
"Why not?" He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice.  
(Name) slowly inhaled, preparing to admit the uncomfortable truth that had been haunting her.  
"I'm afraid of you."  
For a moment, there was silence. Then Gaius burst out laughing. (Name) paled.   
"What's so funny?!"  
When he had finally stopped, the brigand replied with a question of his own.   
"If you're scared of me then why do you hang out with me?"  
The tactician chewed on her lower lip until it started to bleed.  
"Because I'm also madly in love with you."  
Gaius gently took her arm and turned her to face him again.  
"Then I think I know why you're afraid of me."   
He removed the lollipop from his mouth and leaned in closer, closing his eyes. When their lips met, it was like an explosion in (Name)'s chest. He held her arms firmly but delicately, pressing his face to hers in the same way. She raised her hands to wrap them around his neck. She could feel his heartbeat as her body was against his. It was quick, and she knew he was just as nervous as she felt.

 

After a few short moments that felt like years, Gaius pulled away and stuck the lollipop back in his mouth. (Name) could see pink sprinkled over his cheeks and nose.   
"So, what do you think?" He inquired.  
"That was amazing..." She replied, her own face flushed.  
"I meant about marrying me." Gaius let out another laugh. (Name) smiled warmly at him.  
"...Alright. You've convinced me. I'll marry you."  
A wide grin spread across Gaius' face and he brushed a strand of hair from her face.  
"Baby, you're a river of chocolate in an ocean of cream. I'm going to steal your heart on a daily basis."


End file.
